"And the winner is.....the 1838 Texas Presidential Election

In Texas we pride ourselves on everything being bigger and better - in the case of the 1838 presidential election everything was stranger and crazier. The Republic period has some fascinating tales, and this is a great place to start, especially since we are right in the middle of a mayoral election

Left, Mirabeau Lamar

In 1838, the Republic of Texas faced its second presidential election. The constitution of 1836 called for two-year, non-consecutive terms, so President Houston was ineligible to run for re-election. His choice to succeed him was Peter Grayson, former commissioner to the United States during the Texas Revolution. In addition, James Collinsworth, first Chief Justice of Texas was running for the position as was the third candidate, Vice President Mirabeau Lamar. There was a great deal of antipathy between the Lamar and and Houston factions and as a result, the election proved to be a "mud-slinging" affair.

Grayson came from a distinguished Virginia family, which counted among its members a great-uncle who had served as president of the Continental Congress and President James Monroe. Grayson had an interesting career of his own, that included service as an attorney, soldier, and poet. Throughout the campaign, a reluctant Grayson ran a passive candidacy (he did not actually go out and stump for himself), partly as the result of his decision to accept a post as Minister Plenipontentiary to the United States early in the campaign. This did not deter Lamar's campaign people from attacking Grayson unmercifully, something the candidate (who had a history of mental illness) could not bear. On his way to Washington D.C. Grayson wrote of the terrible mental "fiend that possessed me." Unable to bear the mental anguish any longer, Grayson fatally shot himself in the head just north of Knoxville, Tennessee, on July 9, 1838. This left Lamar with just one opponent, James Collinsworth.

James Collinsworth was one of the most prominent men of the Republic in 1838. He was the author of the Texas Declaration of Independence, an aide to Sam Houston at the battle of San Jacinto, and the first Chief Justice of Texas. Texans learned of his candidacy on June 30, however, for unknown reasons (after a week of drunkenness), Collinsworth jumped off a boat n Galveston Bay and drowned so after. His death eliminated all opposition to Lamar's candidacy allowing Lamar to win the election in December by an almost unanimous decision.

The election of 1838 illuminates the pressure faced by presidential candidates, demonstrating that this is not just a 21st century problem. The intense scrutiny can prove to be very unhealthy to the candidates both physically and mentally. One can only wonder why some seek the spotlight, wishing to put both themselves and their family through torture that is a presidential (or Houston mayors) race.